Machine laminating magnetic strip on tag or label stock

ABSTRACT

A MACHINE FOR LAMINATING STRIP OF MAGNETIC MATERIAL COMPRISING ESSENTIALLY OF A MAGNETIC IRON OXIDE FILLER IN A BINDER VEHICLE APPLIED TO A STRIP OF MAGNETICALLY INERT MATERIAL, SUCH AS POLYESTER FILM (MYLAR), PAPER OR OTHER EQUIVALENT MATERIAL. THE LAMINATING MACHINE INCLUDES A SERIES OF ROLLERS AND A HEATED CURVED PLATEN WHICH IS TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED TO 110* F. RAW TAG STOCK AND THE MAGNETIC STRIP ARE PASSED OVER THE HEATED PLATEN UNDER SLIGHT PRESSURE TO LAMINATE THE MAGNETIC SURFACE OF THE STRIP DIRECTLY TO THE SURFACE OF THE TAG STOCK.

Sept. 4, 1973 H. w. KONO 3,756,395

MACHINE FOR LAMINATING MAGNETIC STRIP UN TAG OR LABEL STOCK Original Filed Sept. 6. 1968 ABc com? I GARMENT {1 //Z SIZE$ PRICE 30 I 5.95

INVENTOR/ HARRY w. Ko/va FIG. 3 ag zi a United tes" Patent Ofice Patented Sept. 4, 1973 3,756,896 MACHINE FOR LAMINATING MAGNETIC STRIP ON TAG OR LABEL STOCK Harry W. Kono, Lido Beach, N.Y., assignor to Tag-a- Tron, Inc., New York, N.Y. Continuation of abandoned application Ser. No. 757,819, Sept. 6, 1968. This application June 18, 1971, Ser.

Int. Cl. B32b 31/00 U.S. Cl. 156-495 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A machine for laminating strip of magnetic material comprising essentially of a magnetic iron oxide filler in a binder vehicle applied to a strip of magnetically inert material, such as polyester film (Mylar), paper or other equivalent material.

The laminating machine includes a series of rollers and a heated curved platen which is temperature controlled to 110 F. Raw tag stock and the magnetic strip are passed over the heated platen under slight pressure to laminate the magnetic surface of the strip directly to the surface of the tag stock.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 757,819, filed Sept. 6, 1968, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to tags and labels useful in department stores and the like for attachment to garments and, more particularly, to such tags and labels that are provided with magnetic strip for automatic data processmg.

Description of the prior art Heretofore, in the field of inventory control of garments and the like sold in large department stores, particularly department stores having multiple locations, it has been found advantageous to process garment tags and labels through data processing equipment. Such tags and labels have been arranged for such automatic processing by indicia of information on the label in the form of holes or printed code marks arranged in a certain pattern corresponding to or representative of the desired information. It is known that such systems are relatively slow and have other uneconomical disadvantages that make it desirable for improved systems for handling such data processing on a more rapid and economical basis.

Attempts have been made to include on such tags and labels information in the form of magnetically stored data but none has been found to be desirable and satisfactory. The art has failed to provide a satisfactory magnetic tag that does not smudge when handled, or which is not easily chipped when creased, bent or otherwise curved. Attempts to cure such problems, such as varnishing the magnetic surface, have failed. In addition, the iron oxide (magnetic) surface when in contact with the reading head functions as an abrasive on the reading head as well as abrading itself. Furthermore, the iron oxide surface when exposed to dirt and grease may afifect the magnetic condition and thus the information stored in the iron oxide. According to the present invention these problems are overcome by providing a relatively thin strip of laminated iron oxide adhered to the surface of tag stock with the iron oxide face contiguous with the surface of the label or tag stock.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention, the tag or label stock is processed through a laminating machine which effects the adhesion of a strip of magnetic material provided with the magnetic iron oxide surface which surface is applied directly to the surface of the tag or label stock. The machine includes a heated curved platen to stretch the magnetic strip over the tag stock sufiiciently to bind firmly the magnetic surface of the magnetic strip to the tag stock. In the preferred form of the invention, the lamination takes place at the rate of 2 /2 feet per second with the separated and curved electrically-heated platens, over which the strips to be laminated are passed under tension, being temperature regulated at F. The laminated magnetic tag stock is then wound on a take-up roll for use with appropriate printing and data processing equipment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Referring now to the drawing which shall be described in detail in the description to follow:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the laminated tag stock according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the laminated tag stock as seen along sectional line 2-2; and

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic elevation view of the machine for laminating the tag stock with magnetic strip according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The laminated tag stock 10 (FIG. 1) is formed from a continuous web 12 of paper material provided with clay coating and upon which has been printed the usual information relating to a department store, or the like, carrying trademark information and other garment identification as needed. The web 12 is provided with a series of equally spaced apertures 16 for optical scanning of the web by appropriate sensing devices to synchronize the position of the tag in subsequent printing operations, not part of this invention. The aperture 16 may also serve as a guide for a feed mechanism to assure proper registration of each tag section so that synchronized printing of additional information may be subsequently applied to the tag in a recording machine, or other data processing machinery.

A strip of magnetic material 14 is laminated to one edge of the web 10 or 12 with suitable adhesive. Themagnetic strip is preferably a strip of polyester film, such as Mylar, although any such material that is non-magnetic, and yet has good tensile strength, will serve as well as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. To the plastic film surface 18 there is painted or otherwise applied an iron oxide coating 20 which is carried in a suitable vehicle or hinder. The thickness of the plastic strip 18 is preferably 4 mil (0.00025 inch); the thickness of the iron oxide coating 20 is preferably .45 mil (0.00045 inch) and the thickness of the tag stock is 8-10 mils (0.008 to 0.010 inch. If label stock is to be laminated, with a magnetic strip, the preferred thickness of such stock is 3 mils (0.003 inch).

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown in elevation the machine 30 for laminating the magnetic strip 14 to the tag or label 12. Machine 30 includes a frame 32 and a housing base 34. Within the housing base an electric motor 36 and gear-box and pulley equipment 38 are suitably arranged to drive the several rolls and associated drive shafts. Rewind roll 40 is mounted on a power-driven shaft 42. An unwind or paper-supply roll 44 freely rotates in a counterclockwise direction on shaft 46 which is suitably tensioned or braked to suit the feed rate requirements. The adhesive printing or applying portion 48 of the machine comprises the adhesive base unit 50, a doctor blade 52, a freely rotating roller 54 and a well 56 serving as the reservoir of adhesive material 57, preferably an emulsion of a water-based latex adhesive. The roller 54 (adhesive printer) is preferably wide with a diameter of 2 /2. The roller 54 is provided with a knurled surface of engraved criss-cross configuration with grooves 0.004 deep. This design provides a uniform spread of the adhesive on the surface of the web stock 12, 1 on either margin to provide an adhesive surface of /2". A guide roller 59, suitably mounted above the adhesive components guides the web 12 into the laminating portion of the machine, and guide roller 58 guides the stock from roll 44 with sufiicient pressure over print roll 54.

A roll of magnetic tape 60 on a freely rotating but tensioned shaft 62 provides the supply of mangetic strip material 14. An electrically-heated thermostatically-controlled platen 64 is provided as the first heat unit of the laminator. The electrical heating elements (not shown) are suitably arranged under the surface of the platen to produce a uniform heat at the surface. Another platen 66 is provided adjacent platen 64. This platen is also electricallyheated by a coil (not shown) thermostatically-controlled, serving as the second heat unit of the laminatOr.

The platens 64 and 66 of similar design are each curved over an arc of approximately eight inches about a substantial radius. The degree of curvature is chosen to effect adequate longitudinal tension of the mangetic strip 14 over the stock 12, in combination, with the vertical pressure of the strips developed by the supply (82) and take-off rollers (72-74) to firmly laminate the magnetic strip 14 to the stock 12. It is to be noted that a greater degree of platen curvature is needed for the thicker tag stock.

Thermostats 68 and 70 are suitably arranged to control the electrical supply to the electrical coils of the platens 64 and 66. Heat responsive elements 69 and 71 are mounted on the surface of the platens to indicate the temperature on the platens and are connected in the thermostat circuit as the input temperature thereto. In the preferred form of the invention, the temperature is regulated to 110 F. at the surface of each platen 64 and 66.

The magnetic strip 14 is pulled from the supply roll 60 over idler roller 82 suitably tensioned by a weight or spring to effect a tensioning force of the strip 14 as it is guided over the stock 12 as the two are pressed together over the platens 64 and 66. Powered rollers 72 and 74 draw the lamination which is then guided by idler rollers 76 and 78 over a curved plate 92 onto the powered take-up roll 40.

In operation the supply of tag or label stock 12 having a clay coating is unwound from roll 44. Adhesive 57 from well 56 is applied to the lower surface of the stock 12 by the printing roller 54, excessive adhesive being removed from the roller by doctor blade 52. The preferred depth of the grooves on the roller 54 is 0.004". The roller 58 guides the stock 12 with sufficient pressure against the roll 54 regardless of the amount of stock from roll 44 by appropriate positioning of the roller 58 along the path of the stock from the supply roll 44 to the adhesive roller 54.

The stock 12, provided with the adhesive 57, is guided over idler roller 59 into the input guide plate 94 arranged under idler roller 82, at which point there is an overlay of the strip 14 therewith, the magnetic strip 14 being supplied from roll 60. The stock 12 and strip 14 are then guided over platen 64 and thereafter platen 66 during which time the two layers are heated to set the adhesive and thereby bond the strip 14 to the stock 12. Rollers 72 and 74 are adjusted to effect a tension and resultant closure pressure of the laminate members to assuer uniform adhesion of the two surfaces and to eliminate any possible bubbling or possible wrinkles that may have occurred. These powdered rollers 72 and 74, however, serve primarily as the drawing force or tension to pull the laminated material with sufiicient force over and against the platens 64 and 66. The take-up roller 40 draws the laminated material 10 thereafter through idler rollers 76 and 78.

The laminated material 10 is fabricated at the rate of 2 /2 feet per second at a temperature of F. at platens 64 and 66, the tensioning of the various rollers being suitably adjusted for the stock being used. Thus, the rollers 59 and 82 may be provided with adjustable resilient means 86 and 88 to choose the tension forces required. These adjustments may be done during the operation of the machine and according to changing conditions.

I have discovered that according to the invention a laminated magnetic web does not curl when segmented along the cut lines 13 (FIG. 1). Furthermore, according to the invention the bond of the mangetic strip 14 to the stock 12 is virtually permanent regardless of the extent of repeated handling of the laminated web as a roll or in the form of separated tags or labels.

Since the magnetic surface 20 is bonded directly to the surface of the web stock with the protective surface 18 thereover, the magnetic surface 20 comprising the iron oxide particles remain substantially unaltered and durable in the position in which it is bonded without chipping or other deleterious effects, such as smudging or the like that heretofore occurred with tags or labels of this general nature.

It is thus seen that the objects of the invention have been accomplished. A laminated magnetic tag or label web is produced having its magnetic surface bonded to the surface of the stock and covered with a polyester film to protect it substantially from the ambient. The machine for laminating the magnetic material to the stock includes an electrically-heated thermostatically-controlled curved pair of platens arranged in seriatim to effect the thermalsetting of the water-based latex adhesive.

It should be understood that the foregoing description of the details or exemplary structure is not to be construed in any way to limit the invention, but that modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for laminating a magnetic strip to a web stock comprising in combination:

(a)ha supply roll of web stock mounted on a tensioned s aft;

(b) a supply roll of strip material having a magnetic coating on the radially inner surface;

(0) means for applying a heat-sensitive adhesive uniformly over the radially outer magnetic coated surface of said stock;

((1) a pair of first and second curved, rigid, stationary platens spatially separated in seriatim to guide said stock and strip together thereover on their respective concave surfaces;

(e) a first tensioned roller (82) disposed on the upstream end of said first platen (64) to guide said strip material over said web stock on the first platen (64) so that the surface portion of magnetic coating is pressed with vertical pressure normal to the surface of the stock against the web stock;

(f) a pair of tensioned rollers (72, 74) disposed on the downstream end of the second platen (66) arranged to draw the web stock and magnetic strip together over the two said platens in tension;

(g) thermostatically controlled means for heating each of said platens to a regulated temperature in the order of 110 degrees F;

(11) means for controlling the rate of movement of said web stock and strip at a constant rate in the order of 2 /2 feet per second;

(i) the curvature of said platens and the tension of said first tensioned roller (82) and said pair of tensioned rollers (72, 74) being such as to effect both longitudinal tension of the magnetic strip over the stock as well as suflicient vertical pressure to laminate them firmly and uniformly together.

2. A machine according to claim 1 where said adhesive is a water-based adhesive.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS WILLIAM A. POWELL, Primary Examiner US. Cl. 

